


Kent's Beanstalk

by CircusTalia



Category: Amnesia (Game & Anime)
Genre: F/M, G/T, Giant/Tiny, Size Difference
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2018-08-12 03:04:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 21,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7918018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CircusTalia/pseuds/CircusTalia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a girl has to sell her dog, she obtains a magic bean that grows into a huge beanstalk. The beanstalk leads to the home of an odd giant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hard Times Mean Harder Goodbyes

**Author's Note:**

> For all of my Amnesia fics, the Heroine is given the name Chiemi.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shin, Toma, Chiemi, and Kuro have to find a way to make money so that they don't end up starving.

Out in the country lived three siblings. Although they were not related by blood, they had grown up with one another and had lived together once they were orphans left to fend off in the world on their own. The siblings consisted of two boys and one girl. The oldest was Toma. He was a blonde boy with orange-yellow eyes who worked as a handyman. He would go into town to fix pipes, roofs, and other things. The youngest was Shin. He had brunnette hair with red eyes who was sent to school while also making money as a tutor for his fellow classmates. At least, he was a tutor for those who could stand his rather stubborn attitude. And then there was the middle sibling and only girl, Chiemi. She had light brown hair and green eyes. She would go to town with Toma to work as a delivery girl to a rather well-known bakery. In exchange for her services, she was allowed to bring home a select number of pastries and bread back to her home. There was one other member of this family. It was their friendly, black dog, Kuro. Kuro had been with the siblings ever since he was a pup. He was an extraordinary dog who had a keen sense of smell, knew when to bark against those with ill intentions, and he was well-liked by those who knew the siblings. 

The three of them lived under a small, humble home. Each sibling had their own room and there was one bathroom as well as a kitchen that was connected to the living room. The best part of their home was that they were surrounded by well-kept, green grass and there was a small lake that wasn't very far. On warm days, they would go swimming in that lake. On cold winter days, they would play in the snow. They weren't rich, but they were happy. 

As the years had passed, they grew older. And while the fun never truly stopped, they found it harder to maintain their home. Not very many of Shin's schoolmates needed his help in their studies. Toma's services were decreasing as most of the townsfolk had already used his help. And while the bakery kept Chiemi employed, they had been faced with limited resources for their goods, thus cutting back on how much Chiemi was allowed to take back home. They had barely scraped by. Before long, they had very little food in the kitchen. It was one late afternoon when everyone was seated at the table. Their table had only half a loaf of bread, two apples, and pitch of water. They all sighed.

"This isn't going to be enough," Shin remarked. He looked away from his brother and sister. "If I were a better tutor, we wouldn't be starving."

"Don't blame yourself, Shin," Toma said. "It's not your fault we don't have enough food. At least you're getting an education. Maybe if you finish school sooner, then you could work as a teacher or something more credible than a handyman." Toma opened and closed his rough, scarred hands. "I know I could have done something if I stayed in school."

Kuro rested his head on Toma's lap. Toma scratched Kuro's ear. Chiemi tapped the pencil in her hand on the table. The top of a piece of paper read SUGGESTIONS. She wrote down ANOTHER JOB, SEWING, and EXCHANGE. After writing that last one, she put the pencil against her lips. Shin took the paper from her.

"Hand me that, too," he pointed to the pencil. She obliged. "There is no way sewing is gonna cut it. Mine's family consists of the best seamstresses in town. They'd kill us if we went against them." Shin crossed out SEWING. Then he scribbled down LEAVE SCHOOL TO FIND JOB. It was Toma's turn to take the paper and pencil away from him.

"Oh, no. Absolutely not. You are not skipping school for a low-paying job," Toma scratched out Shin's suggestion. "Although, Chiemi and I could start looking for other jobs." He underlined that suggestion. "But, I'm not sure if anyone in town is hiring. We'd have to spend all day looking to see if there's any help wanted. And there's no guarantee that we'll be getting a job near here." 

They all pondered at the paper. There was that last suggestion that remained. However, as they stared at that word, they couldn't come up with anything to exchange. None of them possessed any valuable jewelry, their clothes were rather simple, and they had nothing of worth that could be enough to buy food and other necessary supplies for the next week. Kuro let out a bark as he ran to the door. The three of them got up from their seats and followed Kuro to the door. When they looked outside, they saw a travelling caravan a few feet away. There were papers flying out of the vehicle that had gone away quickly. They rushed over to where the papers were to see that they were flyers. The flyers said the following:

RESIDENTS IN CITY B LOOKING FOR GUARD DOGS

DOGS MUST BE FRIENDLY, RELIABLE, AND HAVE A KEEN SENSE OF SMELLING AND HEARING

ANY BREED WELCOMED

They all looked down at Kuro. Chiemi shook her head. 

"No, we can't," she pleaded. "Kuro's a part of this family."

"She's right," Shin knelt beside the dog. "If we can't sell ourselves like that, Kuro can't either."

Toma bit on a fist. He closed his eyes for a moment. Shin and Chiemi glanced at each other before turning their attention back to him. Toma opened his eyes which had turned sad.

"We...," he paused for a second before continuing. "Kuro deserves better. I know it's hard. And if there was another option, I wouldn't do this. But we don't even have any meat for him. At least if we sell him, he'll be fed." Toma held his hand out and Kuro nuzzled against it. "I'm sorry, guys. And I'm sorry, Kuro."

Shin and Chiemi huddled around them. Their heads leaned in against each other. Kuro licking their faces which caused them to laugh. They eventually let go of one another. 

"I guess now that means someone has to go take him to City B," Toma pointed out. 

Shin looked back at Kuro. Chiemi raised her hand.

"I'll do it."

They both eyed her. 

"The bakery is going to be closed for a few days. That should be enough time for me to go to the city and come back. Toma can search for jobs tomorrow and I can come back with enough money to last us a little while."

Her brothers wordlessly agreed to let her go. 

"Very well," Toma approved. "After breakfast, head for City B. Don't accept anything that will be worth less than a week's worth of food and utilities. I'll hand you an estimated price range before you leave."

Chiemi nodded. Before they headed back inside, Shin spoke up.

"Hey, I was wondering," he said in a low yet audible voice, "could...Kuro sleep with me tonight?"

Toma chuckled. 

"Yeah, he can." 

And for that night, Kuro curled up with Shin on his bed. Shin kept petting Kuro until he fell asleep. Toma didn't sleep as he stayed in the kitchen, preparing Chiemi's breakfast for the next morning. As for Chiemi, she looked outside her bedroom window and reminisced about all the times her siblings had spent time with Kuro. She held up a picture of when Kuro was only a puppy and when they were still kids. She put the picture underneath her pillow and got tried to get as much rest as she could. 


	2. Trade for a Bean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chiemi and Kuro stop for a short rest when Kuro hears someone in danger.

The very next day, the siblings woke up at the crack of dawn. Toma cut up a few apple slices for them to share and gave each of them a slice of bread. Kuro was given a bowl of water to drink before heading out on the journey to find a new owner. Kuro drank at a fast pace while the siblings ate very slowly. They took in every bite and savored what little flavor there was to their meal. After they ate, Toma handed Chiemi a note on how much she was to sell Kuro for. Shin took out Kuro's leash and attached it to his collar. Chiemi held on to the leash as she exited her home. Her brothers waved her goodbye and shouted that she return before it gets dark. Kuro lept around as Chiemi tried to tug him back without hurting him. 

Chiemi kept up with Kuro's speed, refusing to stop until she reached the city. However, her feet began to feel sore and she grew tired as the sun kept rising overhead of her and Kuro. When she saw a sign that pointed that the city wouldn't be much farther, she sat down under a nearby tree. Kuro jumped on her and licked her face, which made her laugh over his ticklish, wet tongue. She removed the leash from his collar so that he may roam around for a bit. She stared up at the branches of the tree, rays of sunlight peered through them. Kuro was about to lay down next to her, but stopped as he raised his head. He ran. 

Chiemi gathered up the leash and chased after him. 

"Kuro!" she called out to him, still behind.

The two of them strayed from the path and ran into a wheat field. There, a little boy with silver hair had his arms pinned behind him by a rather large man. Another large man had punched a man with long, green locks. The man with green locks wiped his cheek as the men were mocking him. 

"Hey!" Chiemi shouted. "Leave them alone!"

"Aw, what's this?" one of the men taunted. "Has the knight come to save her princess?"

The men laughed. Kuro lept in and bit one of the men's legs. The man kicked him off, but Kuro barked at them. The two large men made a run for it. It wasn't long until they were out of sight. Chiemi went to the little boy and the man that were attacked. 

"Are you two okay?" she asked.

The man with green locks had his mouth open while the silver haired boy nodded with a wide smile.

"You saved us! Thank you!" the boy exclaimed. "I'm Orion by the way. And this is my brother, Ukyo."

Chiemi smiled back as she held her hand out. 

"I'm Chiemi, a pleasure to meet you."

Orion shook her hand while Ukyo stood frozen until Kuro climbed on to him. Ukyo was startled and backed away. Kuro panted at him and barked in a more playful tone. Orion went over to pet Kuro's head.

"Ah, and who is this?"

"Oh, that's Kuro. He's very friendly to the right people. I'm sure he'd let you pet him."

Ukyo slowly stretched out his arm and gently petted the dog. When the dog ceased to bark, he petted him some more. 

"Ah, you're not so scary," Ukyo said. "Thank you for saving us." He looked back at Chiemi. "And thank you for saving us, too. We were waiting for our other brother, Nhil, when those bullies showed up to give us trouble."

"Well, I'm glad Kuro was able to hear you guys in time. I'd hate to imagine what would have happened if we didn't show up."

Kuro circled around them. Orion picked up a stick and threw it in the air. Kuro caught it and returned it to him. The three of them played with Kuro, with Chiemi forgetting about her task to go to the city. None of them realized how much time had passed until a man with the same hair color and cut as Orion's was heard. On his back was a bag that had an oval figure bulge out. When they heard him, Orion ran up to him and told his brother about how Chiemi and Kuro saved them from the men. As Nhil thanked her, they knew it was time for them to head out. Before they said their goodbyes, Orion's curiosity got the better of him.

"By the way, where are you and Kuro going?" he asked.

"Oh, we're going to City B," Chiemi answered as she put the leash back on Kuro's collar. 

"Do you live there?"

"No," Chiemi looked down at Kuro, "or at least, I don't live there." 

"What's wrong?" Ukyo asked.

Chiemi wiped her nose. 

"I have to sell Kuro," her hair flowed past her shoulders and hid her face. "My family can't afford to keep him anymore. I just hope he'll go to a nice home. One that will feed him, and clean him, and keep him safe. And maybe even love him almost as much as I do." She motioned for Kuro to go ahead. "Well, it was nice meeting you. I hope you won't run into anymore trouble."

She only took a few steps when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked over it to see that it belonged to Nhil. 

"Don't leave." Nhil removed the bag from his back. "Would you mind if we took your dog?" 

Chiemi shook her head. "Oh, no. I'm afraid I can't ask that of you. I have to sell him for a price that will take care of my family for a little while until we find stable income. I wouldn't want to trouble you with that."

Nhil opened up the bag to reveal a rather large bean.

"Then, how about we trade?" 

She stared at the bean and placed a hand over it. It was smooth and her hand easily flew over it. 

"That's very impressive," she said, "but I'm not sure if a bean such as this will be enough."

"Oh, but this bean is amazing beyond size. This is a magic bean. If you leave it in the ground and water it, it will open up a way for you to be happy for the rest of your days."

Chiemi looked back at Kuro. She unfolded the paper that Toma had given her with the price. She knew if she brought back a bean, even one as big as that, her brothers wouldn't be happy. And she had barely met these people. How could she have known what to do? But Kuro never attacked them. He was well-behaved this whole time. He allowed them to put their hands on him. She may have tried to find a way to believe that this bean was somehow magical, but her judgement was based on her gut feeling that this was the family Kuro needed. The one he deserved. Chiemi crumpled up the paper and shoved it back into her pocket. She gave them Kuro's leash.

"It's a deal."

Orion took the handle of the leash. Nhil closed the bag and gave it to Chiemi. They thanked one another one last time before going their separate ways. Chiemi rushed back to the path to get home in time. 

_They may not believe me when I tell them of this magic bean. But I can find a way to make this work. At least Kuro will be happy._


	3. A Bean Worth Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toma worries about Chiemi until she makes it back home. When her brothers discover what she came back with, they're less than pleased.

The sun had set with the moon rising up in the sky. Toma kept peeking out the window while Shin read a book at the table. 

"C'mon, Toma, she'll be fine," he tried to reassure him. He flipped the page of his book. 

Toma turned away from the window. 

"I know, but we told her to be back before it got dark."

"The sun barely set not too long ago. She's probably walking slow considering that she had to travel to the city by foot." 

Shin closed his book. He set it down before he made his way to Toma. He gave his brother a small smile.

"Chiemi's a strong girl. She's fine on her own. I wouldn't doubt that she's worried about whether or not she accepted enough money to keep us fed."

Toma chuckled. 

"Yeah, you're probably right. I should have allowed her to use a little bit of money for herself." Toma took out a slip of paper. "The good news is that there will be a new store in town in a couple of weeks. If we're careful with how we spend the money from Kuro, we should be able to last until then."

The door opened and Chiemi stepped in with a bag behind her back. Toma went up to her to hug her.

"Chiemi!" he exclaimed. "I was worried about you."

"Dude, she came back twenty minutes after sunset," Shin retorted, "it didn't take her that long to get back."

Once they let go, Chiemi shifted her eyes around. Shin noticed the bag she carried. 

"Oh, looks like you were able to sell Kuro for a good price."

Chiemi shifted her feet. She carefully took the bag off of her bag and was about to gently set it on the floor until Toma took it from her hands. 

"Oh, let me get that for you," Toma carried it to the kitchen where he set it on a counter. "Oh, this is heavy. I know it must have been hard for you to sell Kuro, but it had to be done."

"Um, wait, I-"

"I know, you miss him. We all do. And you shouldn't feel guilty over it. After all, I was the one who suggested we sell him. But it feels like with the money you've made, we'll be more than alright." Toma put his hand over the hood of the bag. "How much did you sell him for anyway?"

"Uh, I sold him for one...bean," she muttered under her breath.

Toma opened the bag without looking inside. "Sorry, I didn't hear that. What did you say?"

Shin's eyes widened. 

"You sold Kuro for a bean?!" Shin shouted.

Toma looked down and gasped. Chiemi took the bean out of the bag. She cradled it in her arms. 

"I can explain," she backed away. "I traded Kuro to a family that really loved him. They said this bean has magic inside and if we plant it, we'll be happy." 

Shin's face turned red. His hands formed fists. 

"You're telling me you trusted a family that you just met over some MADE BELIEVE MAGIC BEAN?!" Shin slammed his fist on the table. 

Toma placed a hand on Shin's shoulder.

"Shin, calm down."

"Calm down? She sold Kuro for a bean and I'm supposed to be calm?! I can't believe you aren't mad about this."

"Shin, I'm not happy about this either. But yelling isn't going to get us anywhere," Toma's voice rose.

Shin walked to Chiemi and snatched the bean from her arms. He opened the door and she followed him out. 

"Shin! Wait!" she stretched her arm out. "I would have never made that trade if I didn't trust them. Kuro protected them from some bad people and that family was trying to be nice." Her hands shook. "We don't have to plant the bean. If we're careful with it, we could have enough to eat."

Shin threw the bean to the ground. 

"You think this is a joke? How could you be so gullible like that?! Even if we ate this bean, it still wouldn't last us for more than a few days. And growing it? Do you think these things grow overnight? I can't believe you were dumb enough to trade Kuro for some bean. Maybe Toma had a point. Kuro deserved a better family. One that wouldn't think he was so worthless after all these years."

Shin crossed his arms. Chiemi blubbered out incoherent words. She ran back inside and slammed her bedroom door. She muffled her cries with a pillow. Toma knocked on her door, but did not receive permission to enter. Shin came inside shortly after, and saw Toma outside of Chiemi's bedroom. Toma walked by past Shin.

"You two are unbelievable," he said in a low voice. 

"Excuse me?"

Toma faced Shin. "She may have made a foolish choice, but you didn't have to tell her all of that. You know she loved him, too."

Shin scraped his teeth together before going into his own room. 

Once the tears started slowing down Chiemi's face, she grabbed a tote bag and started packing her clothes. She grabbed a pen that was on the floor and took out the crumpled up paper that had the price she was supposed to sell Kuro for. She turned it over and wrote a note.

_Dear Shin and Toma,_

_I'm sorry for what I've done. I know we needed the money so we wouldn't starve. However, I can't in good faith track down the family that took Kuro. I firmly believe that he will be taken care of and loved by them. Which is why I must leave to find work elsewhere. I don't know where I'll end up in, but I promise to write to you as soon as I find a job that will provide stable income. Once I do, I will send you my wages so that you don't starve. Consider this my way of compensating for what I've done. You must hate me now, but I'll make it up to you. You will always be my brothers._

_Love,_

_Chiemi_

As Chiemi signed off her note, lightning was heard outside. She peered through her window and saw that it began to rain. It would have been too dangerous and risky for her to leave right then and there. She opted on heading out the next morning when the rain will hopefully stop. She turned off her lights and went to bed. 

Just outside of their home, the bean began to root itself in the dirt. And out of the bean, a green stalk sprouted out and grew.


	4. Above the Beanstalk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chiemi wakes up to find that a beanstalk had grown just outside of her house. She climbs it and what she finds is beyond anything she could have ever imagined.

Chiemi woke up early. Her eyes were red and her hair was a mess. She changed out of her pajamas and put on a long dress, coat, and beret. She put in a few more items in her tote bag before realizing that she might need a bigger bag. She dug through her closet and found a duffle bag that would be perfect to fit all of her things. Aside from her clothes and a few personal hygiene items, she also put in a few photos of her family. Particularly, the photo that was under her pillow. The note remained on her desk. As she zipped up the bag, she put her hand on the doorknob. Before she turned it, she paused. She put her ear against the door. It was silent. She didn't want to wake them. She let go of her doorknob and opened up her window. She carefully stepped out through the window and safely made her way outside. The grass was wet and her shoes were now covered in pieces of it. She ran around the house, but then she froze.

In front of her was a giant, green beanstalk. The leaves were hanging out of the stem, which was conveniently twisted around and easy for one to walk on. The beanstalk was so tall that it reached the clouds in the sky. Chiemi had to see where it really led to, so she hopped on the stem and began her journey upwards. 

* * *

 

Toma and Shin were in front of Chiemi's bedroom. Shin had a hand on his elbow and sighed. 

"C'mon, Shin, the least we can do is check up on her," Toma lectured. "The sooner we can resolve this, the better things will be in this household."

"Yeah, yeah," Shin muttered out. "She should know I didn't really mean that stuff, though. I was just mad."

"Then maybe you should apologize first," Toma smirked. He knocked on the door. "Chiemi. Let's talk this through. We're all just stressed about our current situation. Chiemi?" Toma turned the doorknob and opened the door. "You awake?"

The boys entered the room to find her bed empty. In fact, her closet was open and only a few things remained in there. On her desk was the price that Toma had given her on how much to sell the dog for. Toma took it and turned it over to read a note that was behind. Shin read alongside him and once they read it, they rushed outside. 

"Chiemi!" they both shouted. She was nowhere to be found. What they did find, however, was a gigantic beanstalk in their yard. They stared at it in awe, and turned to one another.

"I can't believe it," Shin said. "She was right this whole time."

"Uh, you don't think she did what I think she did, do you?"

Shin facepalmed. 

"That dummy."

* * *

Chiemi found that it didn't take as long as she thought to climb the beanstalk. She was already approaching the clouds. The higher she got, the colder it was getting. She hugged herself as she shivered. She took a quick peek back down, only to immediately face forward again. The way everything looked small and far away frightened her. Her head popped from under a cloud and there she saw something she thought she'd never seen.

There was an entire pot of land with a botanical garden and crops that, while smaller than the beanstalk by comparison, were still huge. Chiemi placed a hand over the cloud and found that it didn't slip off. She pulled herself over it and found she could actually stand there. Not far from the botanical garden was a mansion with pillars at the entrance and backside. It had light red bricks and grey roofing. There was a balcony that was a part of the house. Chiemi wondered how she would get there. There was a gust of air that almost blew her away had she not planted herself on the ground. That's when she got an idea.

She went under the cloud again and pulled out a leaf from the beanstalk. She held it above her. Another gust of air came and flew her ahead. As she flew over the land, she took in the sight of all the greenery that surrounded her. There were many different types of plants that surrounded the mansion. From flowers, to trees, to vines, and the tops of fruits and vegetables. It was all so massive and there was enough to feed an entire city, maybe even more than one. There was a bit of trouble on her part when it came to navigating herself. She was close to landing on one of the crops, but was able to shift her weight towards a window in the mansion. Chiemi timed herself carefully before she let go of the leaf. She approached the window sill, and finally let go. She tumbled down for her landing, but managed to make it out okay. Luckily for her, the window was open and she made it inside. She still had the leaf, so she hid it behind a potted plant that was near the window. 

When Chiemi was inside, there was much more to be seen. She was standing on shiny, ceramic tiling. Across from her was a square, black table with finely carved chairs that surrounded it. There were cabinets and drawers that had finely made patterns that covered the borders of the wood. There was a fridge that was covered in sticky notes. From her view, she was also able to view the room that was right in front of the dining room and kitchen. This other room had more potted plants and had two bookshelves that were completely filled. There was a glass table in the center with leather couches and sofas. She could also see a hallway that had a stairway. Chiemi wanted to look around further in the house, but before she did, her eyes spotted a bowl of fruit and a plate of sweets. 

 _Am I glad that I haven't seen any ants._  

She tore off a few pieces from a paper towel that was beside the food. She grabbed bits and pieces from the sweets before hopping on the bowl to see what she could get from the fruit. There were bananas, apples, and grapes inside. She knew it would probably be a bad idea to try and retrieve anything from the banana, so she knew it had to just be the grapes and an apple. One grape was more than enough for her to carry so all that was left was the apple. She dug through her duffle bag and found a pair of scissors. She used it to chip away chunks of an apple and slice them evenly. Chiemi accidentally cut her fingers, but it was a minor cut that wasn't very deep. As she tied everything in place in her paper towel, she threw it over and hopped back down. She took a bite out of an apple piece and ate one of the sweets. Never had she ever tasted food that was so delicious. She savored every bite, wiping off some of the drool that was escaping her mouth. Once she was done eating, Chiemi hid the food where her leaf was. She grabbed the leaf and flew down the counter. 

Once she landed on the floor she heard a noise. It was a gentle sound, almost like the stringing of a harp. And there was a voice that accompanied the harp. Chiemi ran outside of the kitchen. It was then that she noticed a door underneath the staircase that was creeked open. She went through the door to see what was a combination of a laboratory and a study room. There was a soft couch with a bookshelf on one side of the room and on the other side was a desk with various viles, glass containers, and notes everywhere. There, on top of the desk, she spotted a deep blue harp with its strings strumming on their own. She also recognized a man's figure that was in front of that harp as she could see short, silver hair on his head. She ran to the desk and spotted a ruler that looked to be long enough for her to use as a ladder. She took nice, easy steps and the singing grew more prominent in her ears. Once she was on top of the desk, she calmly spoke. 

"Excuse me, sir," she said. "Are you playing that harp without your hands?"

The man stopped singing and turned his head. He had blue eyes and there was small spade underneath his left eye. He chuckled. 

"Why would I need to use my hands?" the man hopped to her direction to reveal that he was a part of the harp. "I am already the harp."

Chiemi had her jaw open. She had never seen a harp with the body of a man before. 

"Are you enchanted?" she asked. 

He chuckled. 

"I suppose. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ikki, a magic harp."

"I'm Chiemi. Nice to meet you."

"So, I don't suppose you are another one of Kent's little experiments."

"Kent?"

"You know. The giant that resides in this mansion."

Before Chiemi could answer, stomps were heard. The stomping was approaching closer to where she and the harp were. The door opened widely by an extended arm. In front of her, there was a giant man with short blonde hair and glasses. He sported a lab coat and underneath the lab coat was a light green shirt and black pants. His eyes were focused on a clipboard he held as he flung over a page. 

"Fee, fi, fo, fum," the giant uttered, "those were the sounds that came from the last music test."

Once he reached the desk, he looked away from his clipboard and noticed a tiny little Chiemi frozen as she stared at him.


	5. Proposition Between a Giant Man and a Tiny Woman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kent is suprised to find a tiny human in his home. For as many questions as he has for her, she won't give in without a price.

Kent was amazed to find a tiny little girl beside his harp. She continued to stare at him, and he grabbed a stool to sit on. He set aside his clipboard and grabbed a pencil that he had nearby. He used it to poke her. She almost fell back. 

"Hey, watch it!" she shouted. 

"Interesting," Kent remarked. "Who knew that tiny people existed?"

The girl puffed out her cheeks.

"Excuse me, but I am not a tiny person," she stood her ground and crossed her arms. "You, on the other hand, are a giant."

Kent raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me? I'm a giant?"

"Compared to me, anyway. And him, too," she pointed to Ikkyu, the magic harp, who was confused when she referenced him.

Kent grabbed his clipboard again and jotted down notes. Never had he come across a species so human like, so small, and so....steadfast. He put the pencil next to her and estimated her height. 

"So, do you by any chance have a name?" he asked.

"Of course I do." She slapped her hand on her chest. "I am Chiemi. I come from the countryside that's right below your cloud fortress."

"Cloud fortress?"

Kent had never heard of his home described as a cloud fortress. He initially believed the girl to have come from the underground or perhaps even be a part of a secrety society of miniature sized people like in the stories he read as a child. However, it was quite intriguing for her to describe his home as such. He wondered what her home was like.

"Would you mind if I asked you a few more questions?"

The girl tapped a finger on her cheek. She looked across the room, but he wasn't sure what it was she was staring at. 

"What kind of questions do you want to ask?" 

Kent wrote down on his clipboard once more. 

"Well, for one thing I would like to ask questions about your origin. Your anatomy and way of living. And then move on to capabilities and whether or not you possess magic like Ikkyu."

"Ikkyu?" She faced the harp. "I thought you told me your name was Ikki?"

Ikkyu laughed. He scratched the back of his head. 

"Yeah, uh, I prefer going by Ikki. Ikkyu isn't a very flattering name for a harp."

Chiemi hummed to herself before replying to Kent's request.

"Alright, how about this, Mr. Giant."

"Don't call me Mr. Giant."

"Okay. Old man."

Kent's face grew pink. Ikkyu snickered while Kent remained flabbergasted at such a title.

"I am twenty-five!"

"Well, from down here, I could see your wrinkles. Besides, I'm only twenty, therefore you're still much older than me." 

"Five years is not a lot of years, missy!"

Kent was starting to get annoyed by her teasing and Ikkyu's increased laughter. He pinched his nose.

"Well, if you don't want me to start calling you Miss Tiny, then please refrain from referring to me as Mr. Giant or Old Man. My name is Kent."

Chiemi shrugged her shoulder.

"Fair enough. Kent," she finally said, "I'll answer whatever questions you have about me. But not all at once."

Kent grew interested in those words. He leaned in closer. 

"In exchange for providing you information, you have to give me scraps of your food."

Why would she want food of all things? He pondered at her request. It wasn't as if giving her food would have been a lot. In fact, for her size, he probably wouldn't have to sacrifice anything worthwhile. He wanted to ask her why she would ask for that, but opted on not prying into her personal life. She may have been a pain, but he was sure she had her reasons for coming here. 

"Alright, and how often would you mind coming out to answer my questions."

The girl thought to herself again. She looked up at the other side of the room where his clock was. 

"How about....I come here everyday and you could use me as a guinea pig for one to two hours a day. Deal?" She extended her hand out.

Kent, knowing full well that his hand would be much too big to grasp hers, extended his pinky finger in exchange. 

"Very well."

With that, they shook hand and pinky. Kent opened his palm up to her. 

"Come on," he said, "let me take you to my kitchen. You'll be able to choose what to eat from there."

Chiemi walked back from his palm. She stretched the collar of her dress. She gave an awkward laugh. Kent sighed. 

"You already stole bits of my food, didn't you?"

Chiemi looked away from him. 

"I....Well, you see," she made various gestures with her hands and rocked back and forth, "I...it was..." Kent stared at her. "Yeah."

Kent still motioned for her to get on his hand and she did so without a word. When they went to the kitchen, Chiemi pointed to where she had hidden the stash of food she had received as well as the leaf she had used to get to the house. He let her get off of his hand and she hopped back on to the counter where she had brought out her belongings. Kent took a hold of the leaf as he examined how she was able to use it. There was something about this particular leaf that he had found familiar, but he opted on thinking about it for another time. He did, however, tape the leaf on a piece of paper that he would get back to later. Although Chiemi wasn't very fond of having her leaf taken away from her, Kent was able to compromise her ride. He left the kitchen for a moment to come back with a toy air balloon. Kent had experimented with the toy to the point that he was able to make it work. Chiemi found that it wasn't too difficult to navigate her new mode of transportation and thanked him. However, Kent wanted to know exactly where she came from as he looked out of his kitchen window. She told him that he would know soon enough. But for the time being, he would have to let her go and she would return the next day. With that, he saw her fly out of his window and across his garden.

Chiemi was certainly one of the strangest girls he had ever met. Though, it was because of her qualities that he looked forward to interviewing and experimenting with her.

* * *

 

Shin and Toma had a rake and an axe in hand. They had on their most durable boots as they faced the beanstalk. Whatever was up there, they were prepared to face if it meant bringing their sister back home. They both glanced at each other and nodded. Before they could step foot on the beanstalk, they heard a noise coming from above. It was a mixture of fear and excitement, a scream and a shout of joy. They didn't get the chance to ask what that noise was when Chiemi came sliding down the beanstalk on a leaf. She knocked over her brothers and all three of them were on the flat faced on the ground. Chiemi placed her hand on her head.

"Ow," she said as she fixed up her beret.

Shin rubbed his forehead while Toma rubbed his cheeks. Chiemi quickly checked to see if the food she had (stolen) received was still in tact, which she let out a sigh of relief as she saw that the pack remained unopened. When all three came to be, Toma gave a huge grin. 

"Chiemi!" he cheered. 

"Toma!" she cheered back. As she was about to embrace her brothers, Shin flicked her on the forehead.

"What were you thinking, going up that thing by yourself?!" he scolded. 

Chiemi pouted. 

"You could have gotten seriously hurt. Or worse," Shin continued. 

"Shin has a point," Toma added. "You shouldn't have gone up there alone." Chiemi still didn't look at them. "Better yet," Toma added, "you shouldn't have left home at all."

Chiemi fiddled with her coat. 

"Yes, I did. I thought you were angry with me and wanted nothing to do with me."

It was Shin's turn to sigh. He tugged her in for a hug. He caressed her hair.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have said those things." 

Chiemi returned the hug. She could feel Shin struggling to breath along with the tears that he silently wept. Toma put his arms around the two of them. All of them held their heads against each other, nuzzling against each other. When Shin let go, he wiped the remaining tears away.

"Besides," he said, "you were right all along."

All three of them faced the beanstalk again. Chiemi knew she had a lot of explaining to do. And explain she did. She went off about what she found above the beanstalk, from the garden to the magic harp. She mentioned the giant she met and how she agreed to help him in exchange for food. Chiemi begged for her brothers to let her climb the beanstalk again. They were reluctant to let her go, but considering that their yard had a giant beanstalk thanks to her, they decided to trust her. 

The three of them went back inside the house as Chiemi laid out the food she had gotten on the table. It was enough to fill their stomachs and they were stuffed to the point of heading to bed early. The three of them were happy to be together again.

Chiemi couldn't help but think about the magic harp and the giant. It had been years since she believed she could ever come across those things. And on the same day no less.


	6. Caught By a Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chiemi goes back to the giant's estate and begins her start as his new test subject.

Chiemi prepped herself up for going up the beanstalk. She strapped on her boots and firmly clipped on her bag. She looked up to see the giant plant before her. Toma and Shin were there to see her off. 

"Remember," Toma said, "if anything goes wrong, come down immediately."

"Okay, I will," she reassured her brother. 

Shin touched the beanstalk and kicked it. He still couldn't get over how such a large and sturdy plant grew overnight. Chiemi stepped on the stem of the plant and made her way above.

When she reached the top of the sky, she quickly found the toy air balloon waiting for her. Chiemi stepped in the contraption and turned it on. She flew high above, soaring over the garden. During her journey to the house, she took her time to admire the plant life that grew below her. Each flower and tree had an intricate pattern to their stems. She didn't think she would get over such a sight. 

The air balloon went through the kitchen window and she navigated it to Kent's office. Lovely harp music was heard and Chiemi didn't have to look to see that it was coming from Ikki's strings. Ikki spotted Chiemi coming in and he began to sing along with his tune. Kent was seated behind his desk, his eyes preoccupied with the book in his hands, seemingly not caring about Ikki's song number. Chiemi landed the aircraft a few feet away from where Ikki was. Ikki stopped playing his music to greet her.

"Ah, Chiemi," he said. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Ikki," she said. "And good morning to you, too, Kent!" she shouted. 

Kent turned his sights away from the book to see Chiemi waving at him.

"Oh, hello," he said back to her. He returned his attention to the book. "We'll start momentarily. I just need to finish this chapter."

Ikki made his way to Chiemi and continued to strum his strings. 

"You must forgive my friend. Once he starts reading, there's no stopping him." He teasingly winked at her as he opened up his arms. "Tell me, Chiemi, doesn't my music astound you?"

"Oh, it's quite beautiful," she responded.

"Is it so beautiful that you could get lost in it?"

Kent rolled his eyes as he turned the page of his book. Ikki eyed Chiemi in a seductive manner. He pushed his hair back and kept eye contact with her.

"Tell me, have I consumed your thoughts yet?"

Chiemi's face turned red. She could feel her arms growing goosebumps. As Ikki tried to lean in closer to her, she distanced herself from him.

"Uh, Ikki," she said, "don't get me wrong, you're a nice guy, but," she shoved him away, "you're starting to creep me out."

Ikki's strings nearly broke off. Kent had his mouth open as he slowly pulled down the book to stare at them. Chiemi took glances at both of them. She made herself cough.

"Uh....," she couldn't quite bring herself to ask for the purpose behind their reactions. Ikki didn't look at her anymore. He seemed to be more focused on tuning his strings. Kent quickly grabbed a pen and scribbled down on a notepad. "Did I say something wrong?"

Kent used his finger to play Ikki's strings. Chiemi remained confused as to why the two of them were acting strangely. Kent then grabbed a bell that was nearby. He put it next to her.

"Alright, I'm going to ring this bell," he said. "Please tell me if you hear anything."

Chiemi raised an eyebrow. When Kent rung the bell, it was a little too loud for her. Regardless, she gave him a thumbs up. Kent went back to his notepad. Ikki looked at his reflection against a flower vase. He put a hand behind his back to gently caress the nearest string to him.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Kent put the pen down and looked at her.

"Sorry," he said, "it's just that, Ikkyu's enchantment extends beyond his physical body."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Ikkyu is a magic harp whose music is typically capable of hypnotism. I've tested this out with birds and other small animals. Or, well, big animals in your case. In fact, aside from me, his music has also worked on other humans. Giants. Whatever you wish to call me."

"I had no idea," Chiemi remarked. "Ikki, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tarnish your ego."

Ikki combed his hair back. 

"No. It's quite alright," Ikki assured her. "Besides, it's actually nice to find someone who isn't immediately enchanted by my music. I hope this means we can be good friends."

Chiemi nodded. She then looked at Kent again.

"You're not going to put a spell on me, are you?"

He shook his head.

"Not unless you wanted me to."

After getting over their recent discovery, Chiemi was left to go through a series of tests. The first of these tests involved her physical capabilities. Kent had set out a variety of items. At Chiemi's end was a pin, followed by a sewing needle, then a pencil, an eraser, a teaspoon, and a spoon. He wanted to see which ones she could carry and to what ease or difficulty. Chiemi laughed at this test. Surely, it wouldn't be so difficult for her to carry these items. Granted, they were now taller than her, but they still looked relatively light. Thus, she confidently raised the pin up. It felt almost like a sword in her hands and like a sword she was careful not to mess around with it too much. She dropped the pin and moved on to the needle, which was also relatively light for her. The pencil was a bit heavier, but she still managed to carry it. The same went for the eraser. The teaspoon made her lose her footing a bit, though she still managed to carry it around. At last, it was time for her to take up the spoon. She cracked her fingers and brought her fists down. She put an arm around the handle of the spoon, before picking it up. However, this time it was a bit more difficult. 

The spoon, although not the heaviest thing she had ever carried, was still hard for her to pick up. When she did, she kept swinging the spoon around, her body spinning out of her control. Ikki tried to go over to help her, but he was startled by the spoon. As she fumbled backwards, she felt herself land on a soft fabric. When she looked down, she could see green gloved fingers extended all around her. She knelt upright to see that Kent had caught her from her fall. 

"Ah, thank you," she said to him. 

Kent gently set her back up and took the spoon away from her. He pushed his glasses up. 

"You're welcome," he told her. "I think I'll stop the testing for today. We'll continue tomorrow." He opened his palm again. "Come. I already prepared a meal package for you."

Chiemi went back into his hand and he lifted her away from the desk. 

"Hey, what about me?" Ikki asked. 

"What? You want to come?" Kent questioned.

"Well, it'd be nice to see my friend off," Ikki pouted.

Kent lifted Ikki with his other hand and placed the magical, talking harp on his shoulder. Once they got to the kitchen, he left the two of them on a counter and headed for a pantry that was a few steps away from him but would surely take Chiemi and Ikki jogging just to keep up with his pace. When Kent came back, he had a plastic bag which contained slices of fruits and bread crumbs. But, he also pulled out another plastic bag which had crumbs of cookies. He placed the bags in the basket of the toy air balloon. 

"I don't believe those should be too heavy," he remarked. "I don't know how long these will last, but I'll still give you more tomorrow."

Chiemi smiled. 

"Thank you so much," she said. "Those cookie crumbs look delicious."

Kent smiled. 

"They should be. I'm quite fond of them, so I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I do."

As Chiemi got on her air balloon, Ikki waved goodbye to her.

"I look forward to seeing you tomorrow," Ikki said to her.

"Same," she waved back. Then she waved to Kent. "I'll see you tomorrow, too."

With that, she was off. 

* * *

 

Toma and Shin helped Chiemi put the food away in containers. They still had the fruit and bread she had brought back the previous day. At this rate, it looked as though they would be set on having their stomachs filled. Once they were done, they helped themselves to some fruit and the cookie crumbs that were given to them. The fruit was very juicy and sweet, much to Shin's joy. He didn't say a word, but he stuffed his face full of the fruit, causing some of the juice to stain his cheeks and run down his mouth. Toma silently chuckled, while Chiemi took in the flavor of the fruit. After they were done eating the fruit, they moved on to the cookie crumbs. Chiemi took a bite and as she chewed, her smile grew wider. Shin and Toma found themselves enjoying the cookie pieces as well. It was a rather good meal for the brothers and sister. All it would take would be for them to save up some money for meat and they would be set. 

After their meal was complete, they headed to their rooms. Chiemi laid down on her bed, covering herself with her blanket. As she tucked herself in, she remembered the feeling of being caught by Kent's hand. It was strange that it was even possible to feel another person's hand like that. To be caught by a person. It may have been his gloves, but being against his hand made her feel warm.


	7. Favor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Chiemi continues to be a part of Kent's tests, Kent asks her something that catches her off guard.

It had become a routine for Chiemi to wake up and climb the beanstalk every day. Her brothers would usually see her off and she would come back down before nightfall. At this time, Toma had managed to get a job at a new store that opened up. He was able to use his income to pay for the house while Chiemi would continue to bring food for them to eat. Her brothers had faith that their sister would always return after every visit, only a little half past dark. 

One day, Chiemi went to visit the giant as usual. He had been testing to see how fast she could run in a hamster wheel and how much power that could produce. She was sweating from head to toe, her hair tied up in a ponytail to keep it from getting in the way of her face. She looked out to see that her speed barely illuminated the lightbulb that was attached to the bottom of the hamster wheel she was on. She looked up tiredly at Kent, who was writing in his clipboard.

"Tell me again," she breathed, "what the purpose of this is for?"

Without looking at her, Kent answered.

"I just wanted to see if it was possible for tiny humans to develop as much energy as rodents."

"For the last time, I'm not small! You're just huge!" Chiemi complained before groaning over how exhausted she was. Before long, a timer went off. Ikki went to turn it off and Kent put a finger on the hamster wheel, causing Chiemi to fall over. 

"There, now you're done," Kent said.

Chiemi tried to catch her breath. Her legs were numb. She pulled herself up, panting as she crawled out of the wheel. Kent sighed as he took a piece of tissue and placed it next to her. 

"A little exercise never harmed anyone." 

Chiemi patted her body down with the tissue.

"Then you try running in a hamster wheel."

Kent placed a saucer with water in it next to Chiemi. Chiemi knelt down and was able to cup the water in her hands as she splashed some in her face. While she cooled herself down, she noticed Kent was eyeing her. She didn't quite understand why and tried to dismiss it. But the more she tried to ignore him, the more noticeable his stares became. 

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

Kent gave a low cough that he covered with his mouth.

"Uh, n-no, not at this time," he responded. 

Ikki gave a sneaky grin. He began to play some rather alluring music with the strings behind him. Chiemi laughed whilst Kent's face flushed red.

"Ikkyu!"

"I won't stop playing until you ask her what it is you've been waiting for," Ikki said as he increased the volume of the music. 

Kent shook his head. 

"Chiemi," he said. "I would like to ask a favor from you."

Chiemi untied her ponytail, brushing the ends of her hair with her fingers.

"What is it?"

Kent crossed his arms. He tapped his fingers on his arm. Ikki kept playing his music, though he slowed down the tempo. 

"I, uh, ahem. I've been thinking," he said, "I think it would be in the best interest of my research that you spend at least one night here."

The music stopped gracefully. Chiemi stared blankly at the giant man.

"You want me to stay here?"

"You would be getting your own quarters, of course," Kent continued. "But I think it would be wise to have you stay at least one night a week."

Chiemi pondered over this. She had never considered sleeping in such a giant house. On one hand, it would be rather roomy for her and there would be lots of comfortable places to sleep on. On the other hand, she had yet to come across bugs and she was too afraid of the bugs being her size. 

"How about this," she offered, "I'll stay the one night a week in your manor, but you have to give me twice as much crumbs and bits before I stay."

"Huh? You do realize that payment is offered after one performs the service, right?"

"Maybe, but I have a family to feed, you know."

Kent sighed. "Very well. I'll pay you twice as much today, and tomorrow you will stay in the manor for one night."

* * *

 

Toma and Shin were happy to receive more food than usual, but they weren't so happy upon learning the conditions they cost.

"Chiemi, are you crazy?" Shin asked. "There is no way you can stay the night at some giant monster's house."

"Yeah, what if he's lying to you and he plans to eat you?" Toma added. "You could get hurt and we would have no way of knowing how you are."

"C'mon, guys," Chiemi pleaded, "it won't be so bad. I can take care of myself. And if he does try to eat me, I'll make sure he throws me back up."

"Ew," Shin shivered. "Don't be so gross."

"Then trust that I'll be alright," she smiled at them while showing off her big, puppy dog eyes.

Her brothers sighed. They relented and allowed their sister to go back and spend the night at the giant's mansion.

* * *

 

Chiemi was surprised to see Kent sitting at the kitchen table playing chess with Ikki. Although she knew that this was his home, she had almost never seen him outside of his study room. Kent controlled the black army while Ikki was in charge of the white army. What was odd about this set up was that the white king was missing. Chiemi took a closer look and saw that Ikki was in the place of the king. 

"Hah, you think you've cornered my queen," Ikki said. "Well, as a true king, I shall not allow such a treacherous act to go unpunished. Behold!" Ikki pushed a knight across the board and knocked over a black bishop. 

Kent clutched his chest. 

"But, how?! I had the perfect strategy!"

"Foolish Kent," Ikki hopped over the board. "You should know better than to mess with my queen."

Chiemi laughed at this display of roleplay. Her laughter was so loud that it caught the attention of Ikki and Kent rather quickly. 

"Oh, Miss Chiemi," Ikki said. "We didn't realize you were already here."

Kent stood up from his chair and walked towards her. He held his hand out. 

"Sorry, I didn't think you'd be here already." 

Chiemi stepped into his palm. 

"It's fine. Your next test wouldn't by any chance involve playing chess against me, would it?"

"N-no," he uttered. "The test won't come until you're ready for bed."

"Well, can I still play chess against you?" Chiemi asked, tilting her head.

"Are you sure? I'm not sure it would be fair to go against someone that probably doesn't even know the basics of such a complex and strategic game."

"Hey, don't underestimate me. Besides, I, too, want a chance to go against the terrifying giant!" Chiemi raised a fist in the air. 

Kent rearranged the pieces on the board to restart the game. Ikki remained in the place of the king, vowing to follow the orders of Chiemi. At the beginning of the game, Kent had the upperhand. He used mostly a couple of pawns to rid of half of Chiemi's army. Chiemi would not give up, though. She had a point to prove. A battle to win. Chiemi got the idea to think like her opponent. That's when she started to take a lead and take out some of Kent's pawns. Kent had to come up with a new strategy on the spot. It was a long battle, lives were lost, and Ikki was taken out somewhere in the fight. Before any of them had time to blink, Kent claimed checkmate. 

Kent extended his finger to Chiemi.

"I must admit," he said, "it was a good game."

Chiemi grabbed the tip of his finger with her hand and shook it. Even she had to admit that she overestimated herself to beat Kent. However, that made her resolve to get better at chess so that she could proclaim victory one day. None of them knew had long they had played for and found that it was already late. Kent carried Chiemi away from the kitchen and into the living room. Inside the living room was a house that was opened. A house that was bigger than Chiemi's own. It had two floors, and a rather large bedroom. There was a replica kitchen at the bottom floor and a living room of its own. Chiemi realized then that what she was looking at was not an open house, but rather a doll's house. 

"You'll be staying here during your overnight visits," Kent told her. "I don't know if this is to your liking. I can rearrange it to better suit your tastes if you'd like."

Chiem twirled around. "This is incredible!" Chiemi climbed up the stairs to the bedroom. There was a plastic drawer and a vanity that reminded her of her own back home. The wallpaper was gold with green patterns. There was a closet that had empty hangers inside. She made her way to the bed, which was rather large compared to her own bed. However, when she sat at the edge, she noticed that the bed was actually using a sponge as a mattress. 

"I've never slept on a sponge before."

Kent chuckled.

"I can only imagine. What I'd like for you to do tonight is to sleep like you normally would. In the morning, I will ask you to rate how comfortable you were sleeping on that sponge."

Chiemi laid down across the sponge. It was rather bouncy and squishy. She didn't mind as she found it to be soft enough for her to relax on. She let out a yawn.

"This is probably the easiest test you've given me."

She rested her head on the sponge. Her eyes blinked until they had been shut. Kent grabbed the tiny quilt that was on the floor of the miniature bedroom. He gently placed it over Chiemi. Then, he dimmed the lights down. Before he went upstairs to his own room, he couldn't help but notice just how peaceful Chiemi looked as she slept.


	8. High-Heeled Shoes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A conversation with Sawa makes Chiemi think about her feelings for Kent.

At the table, Kent sipped on a mug of coffee with a plate of bacon and eggs before him. Ikki and Chiemi were given their own small plates and a miniature table to sit at on top of the big table, where they dined in eating bacon bits and bread crumbs. Ikki played a tune for them to listen to during the morning, where the sun was shining and all was at peace. Kent had his clipboard and pen beside him, where he wrote down a couple of things.

"I hope you slept comfortably," Kent said. 

Before Chiemi could answer, Ikki butted in.

"Why, yes, I did. I slept so peacefully in the cupboard, and my back and face didn't get a single speck of dust."

"I was talking to Chiemi," Kent clarified.

"Oh, of course, where are my manners. Yes, Chiemi, how did you sleep last night?"

Chiemi had a smile on her face and answered with her mouth full.

"Oh, I swept pwetty good," she responded. And her food tasted wonderfully as well. She couldn't help but wonder if there were giant animals as well, considering that they were eating meat and dairy products. "Awr there-"

"Chew before you speak," Kent instructed in a rather annoyed tone.

Chiemi swallowed her food.

"Sorry," she said. "It's just that this food is so good. I was wondering if there were any animals up here?"

"Animals?" Kent adjusted his glasses. "No, I don't own any animals. While I don't mind observing them, I'm not very good at handling them. I receive my meat from the butcher, just like anyone else."

"I see. Animals are a big responsibility. I would know since I used to own a dog."

"A dog?" Kent asked. "What kind?"

"Oh, he was a big, black dog. And he was super friendly."

"I'm surprised. I never thought you'd be able to tame a dog."

Chiemi flexed her (lack of) muscles. "Of course I can! Kuro grew up with me and my brothers. He was less of a pet and more like a member of the family." Chiemi looked down at her plate. She toyed with what remained of her food. "I just wish I didn't have to give him away."

"Give him away?" Ikki asked as his song faded.

"Yeah," Chiemi sighed. "I gave him to a good family, but I do miss him very much."

Kent grabbed a nearby muffin and took out a tiny piece. He placed the piece on her table.

"There's no use in getting worked up about it," he said. "If you were a good owner, then I'm sure he'll be smart enough to live by what you've taught him."

Chiemi looked up at Kent. She couldn't bring herself to get very upset at him as there was an effort to make her feel better. She silently ate the muffin piece while Ikki tuned up a new song to play. Chiemi did what she could to help clean up, although the best she could do was wipe off the dust that was on the big table as Kent washed the dishes. Ikki helped Chiemi gather her things and Kent set her on the balloon. They said their goodbyes and Chiemi was off to go back down the beanstalk. 

* * *

When Chiemi came down, she heard a familiar female voice shouting nearby.

"Wow!" 

Chiemi went to see if it was who she thought it was. Before her was a young woman, with her brown hair up in a ponytail. She wore overalls and boots, and carried a pitchfork. Chiemi hadn't seen this familiar face in quite a while.

"Sawa!" she called to her friend.

Sawa dropped her pitchfork and ran and hugged Chiemi. 

"Chiemi! It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Sawa looked behind Chiemi at the giant beanstalk that reached the skies. "Well, I guess I have some new competition when it comes to growing crops."

Chiemi turned around and pointed to the beanstalk. "Oh, this? This just sort of happened unexpectedly." Chiemi scratched the back of her head. "Truth be told, it's really not all that special. Not when you have to be a guinea pig to get anything out of it."

Sawa tilted her head in confusion. Chiemi guided Sawa inside where the two of them drank tea at the table and where she was able to tell her the full story of what had happened. Chiemi used hand movements to describe the events that took place, as well as for some of the experiments she went through with the giant. She didn't forget to mention the enchanted harp and how big everything was above. Sawa was taken aback by her friend's story. 

"That sounds amazing!" Sawa exclaimed. "I never knew there were friendly giants. All the giants I've heard about were evil and ate people," Sawa clawed out her hands and gave a roar. 

Chiemi spit out her tea as she laughed. "Yeah, but he's actually pretty nice. A bit aloof, but still nice," Chiemi smiled down at her cup. 

Sawa slid closer to Chiemi. "I know that look."

"What look?"

Sawa grinned. "You know the one. Did something happen between you and this giant?"

Chiemi sipped her tea. "No. All I did was spend the night at his mansion."

Sawa placed her hands on Chiemi's shoulders. 

"Really?!" 

Chiemi nodded.

"Chiemi, you spent the night at a man's house?"

"I'm not sure if it counts since he seems to be otherworldly, but I guess."

Sawa hugged Chiemi tightly.

"My little Chiemi is growing up so fast!"

Chiemi was confused. She hadn't considered having any deep feelings for Kent. He was uptight, lost in his work, and seem unempathetic to any given situation. Yet, he did take her safety into consideration. He did make sure she was comfortable. And she had to admit, there was fun to be had with him sometimes. She shook her head. There was no way she could love him. Even if she did love him, there's no way he'd like her. He probably thought of her as an animal to be studied. Well, that was the case considering that he's ran tests on her. 

Later that day, Chiemi and Sawa went into town. They decided to do a little shopping and stopped by Mine's workshop. Mine had just finished sewing up a dress when the two walked in. Mine put her needles away and ran up to them.

"Ah, Sawa! Chiemi!" she greeted. "How have you two been?"

"Hey, Mine," Sawa replied. "Chiemi and I were just about to do a little shopping. If you're not busy, maybe you could join us?"

"You girls are lucky," Mine said nonchalantly. "I just so happened to be done with my last dress of today. I supposed I could spend some time with you."

They laughed at Mine's antics as Mine grabbed her purse and the three of them headed out. They browsed through a few shops, admiring jewelry that they couldn't afford and looking at hair accessories. Chiemi would once in a while take a look at something that made her think about how pretty it would really make her look. Mine was confused, especially moreso when Chiemi insisted they stop by the shoe store. What surprised both Mine and Sawa was when Chiemi tried on high heels that looked quite uncomfortable on her. 

"Chiemi, is something?" Mine asked.

"Huh? Oh, I just wanted to see how I'd look in these," Chiemi waddled and tried not to fall. "Hey, how tall do you think these make me look?"

Sawa sat Chiemi down as she took off the high heels.

"Chiemi, you shouldn't go through this effort to impress a boy," she tried to reassure.

Mine, however, could not hold in her surprise.

"What?! A boy?! Give me all the details!"

Chiemi shook her head. "It's no use. I don't think high heels would impress him much."

"Is he a tall boy?" Mine asked.

"More like a giant," Chiemi and Sawa responded in unison.

Mine dragged Chiemi out of the store. 

"C'mon. I have some shoes that I think will help."

The girls were back in the workshop and made their way to the back, which served as Mine's family home. They entered Mine's room which was filled with bright colored objects and handmade clothes and accessories. Mine dug through her closet before blowing the dust off a rather large box.

"Someone had given me shoes in compensation for a dress I made them," Mine opened the box. "The problem was that they were a little big on me and I couldn't quite handle how high they were." She held up a pair of long, high heeled shoes, whose heels were rather chunky. "It's also personally not my style." She handed the shoes to Chiemi. "But I think it's worth a try if you put them on."

Chiemi smiled. "Wow, thanks Mine!" 

Mine and Sawa spent the rest of the day helping Chiemi practice walking in those shoes. Chiemi thought that with these shoes, perhaps Kent could consider looking at her in an appealing way.

 


	9. Enchanted Plants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Chiemi tries to impress Kent with her high heeled shoes, she gets caught up with a ravenous plant. After that encounter does she realize just how much magic surrounds the estate.

Chiemi climbed the beanstalk, this time carrying a bag that contained the high heeled shoes. When she reached the clouds and her balloon, she switched shoes. It was difficult for her to stand, but she managed to hop on to the balloon and head to the windowsill. Once Chiemi arrived, she straightened herself up and took a look at her reflection that was on an empty glass. She fixed her hair a bit and made her way to Kent's lab.

Little did she know that Kent was working with a Venus flytrap. He had been caring for the plant for some time, and had recently switched from using regular soil to magic soil. The results were a slightly larger than average plant with a moving head and roots. The plant was still small enough for Kent to place his hand on his head, and for some reason it purred when Kent touched it in anyway. Kent took down notes on the carnivorous plant when Chiemi walked in. 

"Hey!" she shouted, not seeing the Venus flytrap as it was hidden behind a stack of books from her point of view. She shouted again, this time waving her arms. Chiemi let out an unamused groan, her feet already aching on the walk over to the lab. She tried to bear it a little longer as she made her way to the leg of the desk and started walking up. She could feel herself getting tired, but that didn't deter her from moving onward. 

Once she got to the top, she tripped on a long, green vine.

"Huh?" Chiemi questioned. Kent was busy reading, and she huffed at his obliviousness. She stood up again, but noticed that the desk was covered in these vines. She walked around the stack off books and saw a large, hungry monster. 

Chiemi backed away, but the vines caught a hold of her. They brought her to the monster as it readied itself to consume her. She screamed. 

Kent was taken aback and his panic grew when he saw Chiemi about to get eaten by the Venus flytrap. He grabbed a hold of her while the Venus flytrap put her in its mouth. Ikki emerged from a nap, his face mask still on. 

"What is going-" and before he could finish that sentence, he saw Kent pulling Chiemi away from the plant's mouth. Ikki quickly played a tune from himself, causing the plant to relax and loosen its vines. This caused Kent to fall over and for him to let go of Chiemi, who fell, too. 

Kent landed hard on the floor. As he tried to gain composure, he felt something on his face. It felt like a doll that was covered in drool. When he was able to focus his view, he saw that it was Chiemi who was on top of his face. Chiemi could feel herself on skin. And some other material. It felt like a hard material. She then realized she was on Kent's face.

"Ah!" she yelped. 

Kent contained his surprise and quickly but carefully got a hold of her. He put her back on the desk as the Venus flytrap had been lulled to sleep. He immediately put the plant as far away from Chiemi as possible. The two of them were blushing like crazy, their faces completely red. Chiemi couldn't believe that her whole body was on top of his face. He could have probably felt every inch of her. She tried to stand up on her own, but found her legs to be rather wobbly.

Kent gave her a tissue and noticed her having difficulty on standing up. He offered his knuckle for her to lean on. 

"I'm sorry that my Venus Flytrap almost ate you," he said.

Chiemi leaned herself against his knuckle. 

"I'm surprised those things could eat people," she said. "I thought they only ate bugs."

"It was, um, an enchanted Venus Flytrap," Kent pushed up his glasses, hiding his face with his free hand.

"Oh, why am I not surprised." Chiemi let go of Kent and was about to grab the tissue, but she fell down. Kent was able to open his hand up and she landed on his palm.

"Why are you wearing those shoes?" Kent asked. "You're obviously not fit to wear them. You keep falling down."

Chiemi pouted. 

"Maybe I just wanted to look nice," she answered. Chiemi put her hands behind her back. "I mean, I thought it'd be more convenient for you if you I were a little taller."

"Huh? Why would it be more convenient for me?"

Chiemi wiped her face and hair with the tissue. "Well, since I'm so small, I thought you'd prefer it if I could be taller in some way."

"You know you're still puny, it really wouldn't make a difference one way or another if you wore high heels," Kent grabbed his clipboard and started jotting something down. Chiemi wasn't very happy with his answer until he continued. "Besides, I'd rather you walk around comfortably than conform to some fashion standard. Your safety is more important." Chiemi brightened up a bit, and still, Kent continued. "Of course, I have no control over what you decide to do. So if you want to keep wearing shoes that are unfit for you, then be my guest."

Chiemi shook her head before looking up at him. 

"Maybe I will. If I fall, you'll be there to catch me like you've always had."

Kent stopped writing for a moment. Ikki gave him a side-eyed glance as if he knew Kent had met his match. Chiemi sniffed herself.

"I think it's going to take more than a piece of tissue to get me cleaned up."

* * *

Chiemi had been left alone on the windowsill, where she was hidden behind the window curtains. She was seated inside a bowl that had steaming, hot water. A bottle of handsoap was placed beside her as she pressed on it to gather some to wash herself with. The bowl was already covered in bubbles. She leaned out against the bowl and looked out the window. For the first time since she arrived, she noticed that the garden was enchanted. The colors of the flowers changed every so often. The fruits and vegetables had a glowing light to them. Trees had branches that swayed on their own. Kent's garden was full of so much life and she had only noticed it.

Ikki was nearby, strumming his strings. He could not see her, though, and did not wish to see her out of respect. Chiemi called out to him to his surprise. 

"Yes? Did you need me to fetch you something?" Ikki asked.

"No, it's not that," Chiemi responded, still gazing beyond the window. "I was just wondering, is Kent by any chance a wizard?"

"A wizard?"

"Yeah. I mean, he has so much magic in his estate, including you."

Ikki chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't say he owns me as much as I've allowed myself to live with him." He tested his strings. "Although, I think Kent would very much like to be a wizard. He's always studying the effects of magic, but he can never conjure anything up himself without the help of a book." 

Chiemi floated above the water, lifting her leg up. "Hey, you never told me how you know Kent. Or where you came from."

Ikki looked at the window curtain. "Which one would you like to hear?"

"Both."

Ikki hummed before answering her. "I was born in this country. I lived in a music shop with other magical instruments. But I didn't always sound so beautiful. I was a rather unimpressive harp. No one wanted me to play for them for I would produce such dull music. But then Kent came by the shop and had an interest in me. He asked if I had wanted to go with him. I said yes and so he brought me here. He gave me a potion and that's how I became beautiful. He takes to me to concerts to perform at and now most giants, especially giantesses, want me to be in their homes."

Chiemi pulled her legs closer to her chest. "Wait, you were born an instrument?"

"Of course. What else would I be born as?"

"I guess I'm just trying to get used to magic simply being a part of this land. Where I come from, you would probably be a figment of a child's imagination rather than real. Kent would be unreal."

"Oh honestly, even if Kent weren't as huge as he is, no one would believe a person such as himself exists."

Chiemi felt a tinge of anger at those words. Even if those words held some truth to them, she couldn't believe Ikki could say that about him, not when Kent had been the one to help him become a talented harp. 

"That's one way to speak about someone that helped you."

"Well, you're not always speaking fondly of him either. Although, I've noticed that you seem to be wanting his attention more often. Why is that?"

Chiemi blushed as she created her own bubbles with her mouth. She didn't think Ikki would ask something like that. She wasn't entirely sure if what she was feeling was indeed a crush. Ikki chuckled. 

"I tease," he assured her. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't feel comfortable talking about. Just know that if you need any help, I'll be here to provide it."

Chiemi lifted her head from the water. "Thank you."

She stood up and got out of the bowl. There was a handtowel next to it that she used to dry off her body. Although it was too big for her, she was happy over the softness of the fabric and how she felt like she could melt in it. There were some clothes nearby for her to wear. Ikki had lent her his clothes. They were a bit big on her, but they were the closest thing to her size that she could put on. 

Ikki helped her tighten her clothes with a few knots and called Kent over. Kent came and eyed the clothes that drooped over her body. 

"Sorry for not having any women's clothing to offer," Kent apologized. "I'll be sure to keep in mind to purchase clothing that is more appropriate for you. For now, I'll wash your clothes and return them to you upon your next visit."

"Oh, I don't mind," Chiemi said. "I feel more bad about borrowing someone else's clothes."

Ikki shook his head. "It's no problem at all."

"Thank you," Chiemi said to Ikki. She walked over to Kent, barefooted this time. "And, I'm sorry, too," she said. "I should have been more careful around your plant."

"You don't have to apologize," Kent told her. "I'm just glad you're safe. And I'll be more careful next time."

They both smiled at each other. Unfortunately, it was time for Chiemi to return home. She gathered up her things, put on her regular boots and left the heels in the box, and left the manor. As she left, she looked back and took in the dreamlike setting of the estate. Chiemi may have been confused over her new feelings towards Kent, but she was more than happy to get the chance to be inside such a fantastical dream. Perhaps falling for a giant wasn't so impossible after all.


	10. Parents of the Strange Giant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chiemi arrives at Kent's place as usual, but unexpectedly meets a couple of new faces.

There was a particular visit that was unlike any of Chiemi's other visits. It started off normally as she had prepared her things to remain for her one overnight stay a week at Kent's estate. She said goodbye to her brothers before climbing the beanstalk. She hopped aboard her little air balloon when she reached the top. However, upon landing on the kitchen windowsill did she notice something off. Harp music could not be heard. The sounds of writing and experimenting were also missing. What she did hear, however, was a woman's voice. A much older woman's voice. 

Footsteps came from around the entrance to the kitchen. What came walking in was a giant, middle-aged woman with short blonde hair and a green scarf. She hovered over the table where there pamphlets. Chiemi had been so accustomed to seeing Kent as the only giant in this house that she had forgotten that there were other giants. She didn't know if this giantess was as harmless as Kent or if there was a dangerous side to her. However, the giantess looked kind as she rummaged through the pamphlets. The giantess did look up and was startled to see Chiemi standing on the kitchen counter. 

"Oh my," the giantess gasped. She walked over and leaned her head to Chiemi. "And who might you be?"

Chiemi bowed before the giantess. "I am Chiemi, ma'am."

The giantess giggled.

"My, what a well-mannered little human." The giantess bowed her head. "You must be the little human my son has been talking about."

Son? 

"Mother, what are you doing?" Kent leaned against the arch that connected the kitchen to the living room and hall. His eyes widened at the sight of Chiemi. "Of course I would forget," he mumbled to himself. He made his way to where the two of completely different sizes were. "Mother, this is Chiemi. The tiny human that has volunteered to participate in my studies."

Volunteered? Chiemi supposed that it was better to give that as an explanation rather than state how she was there on a bribe. 

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Chiemi said.

Kent's mother smiled fondly. "You're very pretty, my dear. It should be my pleasure meeting you."

Chiemi blushed. She had no idea how a woman as sweet as this one could have raised a son that was so straightforward and blunt.

"By the way, Kent," Chiemi looked up at him, "where's Ikki?"

Kent looked in the direction of the entrance to his home. "With my father. My father invited him to come along to one of his gatherings for his job. For the purposes of entertainment no doubt."

"Honestly, Kent," the woman shook her head. "Your father assumed Ikki would enjoy the attention, thus it would make sense to invite him to a social gathering. It's beneficial for both parties."

And Chiemi now knew where Kent got his reasoning mindset from.

"I suppose that is a fair assessment," Kent placed a hand underneath his chin. "However, would it not have also been beneficial for you to accompany Dad? You would have been able to provide insight to their project as a professional outsider."

"Ah, those people see me quite frequently," she put an arm around his waist. "I prefer spending time with my son whom I don't see as frequently."

"Mom," Kent moved his head away from her.

The gentle giantess turned her attention back to Chiemi. "How long will you be staying, little one?"

"Oh, uh," Chiemi clutched her bag, "for a while."

The giantess woman nodded. "I was hoping you'd say that. I plan on making dinner tonight and it would be nice if you could join us."

"Oh, yes. Thank you."

"Mother, please," Kent had taken his mom's arm off of him. 

"Chiemi, would you mind if we talked about the experiments you and my son have performed?"

"Sure," Chiemi nodded. She was surprised when Kent's mother opened up her palm. "Oh, you don't have to do that."

"I don't mind, dear," she bent her fingers slightly to urge Chiemi to hop on. 

 

Kent's mother carried Chiemi to the living room, where she sat next to her son on the couch and Chiemi was placed on the table. Chiemi was given a book to sit on as the three of them discussed how they met and the experiments they had done. The conversation lasted quite a well as it was late afternoon when Kent's mother decided to prepare dinner for the night.

When his mother was out of earshot, he addressed Chiemi softly.

"Sorry about her," he apologized. "She can be a bit embarrassing."

"Why are you feeling sorry?" Chiemi perched an eyebrow. "She's been very sweet, unlike some people I know."

"Excuse me?" Kent scoffed. "I make sure you're taken care of."

"Because I'm your guinea pig," she pulled her legs up atop the cover of the book. "In all seriousness, she is a really nice woman."

"She's good natured, sure," Kent looked at his mother cooking in the kitchen, "but she can sometimes be a little too nice. Particularly with her words."

"I don't mind," she swept her hand over the title words of the book. "Is your father just as nice?"

"Well...," before Kent could answer her, an older giant man walked with Ikki perched on his shoulder. 

The older giant had shorter, lighter hair compared to Kent, which was combed back. He wore black, rectangular glasses and a suit that made him appear like a professor. After he closed the door behind him, he stopped in his tracks to be met with the sight of a tiny young lady in the living room.

"Ah," he proclaimed, "what do we have here?"

Kent's mother entered the scene again. "Dear, this is Chiemi. The volunteer who's helping Kent with his research."

The older giant man hummed. "Chiemi? A pleasure to meet you, miss."

Kent got up from his place in the couch to retrieve Ikki from his dad's shoulder. Chiemi could see all three of them at their full height. While it wasn't surprising that Kent was taller than his mother, it did come as a shock that he was the tallest one of the three.

Kent felt her staring at them, leading him to scoop her up.

"I believe Chiemi is hungry now," he said. "We should eat."

 

Kent's parents sat across from one another with Kent seated between them. Before them was simmered pork with a side of steamed rice. Ikki did not join them as he had been worn out from the day of playing himself for hours to a crowd. He had been taken to his sleeping quarters to rest for the remainder of the night. This left Chiemi the only small person at the table. Literally. She had been given a doll chair to sit on accompanied by a tinier table. She had cut off tiny chunks of the pork and gathered a grain of rice to eat on. When she bit her food, she admired the quality of it with a smile.

"It appears she enjoys your cooking, Mother," Kent announced.

"Is that so?" The woman looked pleased. "I'm not accustomed to cooking as I'm often busy with my own projects. It's rare for us to be eating together like this, what with our conflicting schedules."

"Exactly," her husband cut up the pork and mixing it in with the rice. "I hope my son hasn't expected you to cook for him as part of his experiments."

"Father," Kent fumbled. "As if I would do such a thing. Even if I wanted to, it wouldn't be practical considering her size."

"As long as you are aware of that," his father drank the glass of water before him. When he placed the cup back down, he resumed the conversation. "Chiemi, I know you must have been startled when you first met Kent, but please be aware that he is an intelligent man who is well respected in his research of magic and science."

"And he can be quite gentle," his mother added. "He would never do anything out of malice and keeps what would be best for others in mind."

"Why are you listing my traits as if we were discussing reasons for her to accept me as a suitor?" Kent's face was bright red.

His mother looked at him in confusion. "You mean you aren't courting her?"

Chiemi found her face turning as brightly as Kent's.

 

Luckily for them, his parents were able to laugh off the insinuation. Dinner carried on fine, although Chiemi could not push back the idea of Kent courting her. His parents certainly wrong with their assessment of him, but she saw more than that. The way he remained focused on his work and the wonder he expressed when he discovers something new, those were things that were uniquely him. She enjoyed going back and forth with him because she knew that their arguments were never serious. They were silly and she was allowed to be silly with him.  

As it was getting late, his parents decided it was time for them to return to their own home. Kent saw them off, going back inside to clean up the table and sink. As he had the water running, he spoke to Chiemi.

"I apologize again for my parents being embarrassing," he scrubbed a plate with a sponge. "They can get carried away with their thoughts."

"Sounds like someone I know," Chiemi replied playfully. "But you know, it's good that you get along with them. They seem to love you very much."

Kent dispensed more soap in the sponge. "Obviously. That's to be expected with stable family functions." He polished a few utensils. "Do you not get along with your parents?"

"No, it's not that," she answered. "I got along with them fine years ago."

"Years ago?"

She walked to the edge of the table, sitting down and letting her legs dangle. "When they were alive."

Kent turned the water off. "You're an orphan?"

She nodded. "To put it bluntly, yes. I'm not alone, though. I have my brothers with me, even if we aren't related by blood."

He looked over to her. "And how have you gone on without parental guidance?"

Chiemi shrugged. "I just had to do what I was good at. Put in my share of the work load. It's not easy, I'll admit that much." She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Especially when it comes to making choices." She kicked her feet in the air. "I miss Kuro so much."

Kent knelt down in front of the table. "Your dog, yes?"

She nodded wordlessly. She could feel tears forming in her eyes when Kent placed a finger underneath her chin. She looked at him in curiosity.

"I'm sure it wasn't easy losing your parents," he said. "I know apologies won't change the course of life, but I am sincerely sorry for your loss."

She gave him an appreciative smile, letting her head sink into his finger. "Thank you." 

He picked her up and carried her to the dollhouse. When she was inside, she laid down facing Kent's direction. 

"There isn't anything you want to study tonight?" she asked.

"No, we'll focus on continuing our experiments in the morning."

Chiemi yawned. "Okay."

Kent got up. "Goodnight, Chiemi."

"Goodnight."

When he disappeared into the hallway, Chiemi pulled the quilt over her body. She wondered what would happen if she confessed to Kent her true feelings. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I'm sorry it took me so long to get around to posting this chapter. If you're reading this, thank you for your patience. No promises on what the upload schedule will be for this fic, but I do want to get back to it because I've pushed this fic away for far too long.


	11. Confession Gone Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chiemi decides to confess her feelings to Kent. Unfortunately, it takes a turn that she wasn't hoping for.

Chiemi had sat on her bed, fiddling with her hair. Lately, she couldn't stop thinking about the giant that had stolen her heart. He may have been a massive know-it-all, but there was a sweet side to him. Plus, he was aiding her and her brothers in their time of need. He didn't realize how much of an impact he's had on them. They haven't gone hungry and continue to live comfortably in their home. She did not know how he would react to her confession, but she was determined to say it to him anyway. Even if he rejected her, it had to have been worth a try.

 

 

Chiemi kicked the stress ball across the table. It bounced off, but was caught by Kent. Kent put the ball against a flask and jotted down his notes.

"Okay, next, I'll have you kick this," he put a marshmallow in front of her. "Be sure to use as much force as you can."

She nodded. She got in her stance and kicked the marshmallow as hard as she could. She was sort of grateful for this exercise as she released her pent up nervousness easily. She found that the more time had passed with her performing these kicks, the less anxious she was to speak to him. The marshmallow tipped over. 

"You could still knock that over, huh," Kent spoke to himself. He grabbed the sugary treat and tossed it in a nearby trashcan. "Not like I can eat it with your shoe marks all over it. And I doubt you'd still want it for that same reason." He wrote up the last of his notes. "Thank you for your perfomance, Chiemi. I chopped up bits of a peach and celery for you to take. I've also decided to cut up a bit of meat to make the food more balanced in nutrition."

Chiemi shook her head before hopping on his hand. Once they got to the kitchen, she stood atop the countertop, next to the sink, and swung herself with her eyes closed. This was her chance. 

"Kent."

"Hm?" Kent turned his head. "Did you say something?"

"Yeah," she admitted. "Listen, there's....there's something I want to tell you."

"Is it important?"

She rocked her shoulders. "Mmmm, sort of?"

"Sort of?" He pulled up a chair, staring intently at her. "What's wrong?"

Chiemi took a deep breath. "Okay, so, I was wondering about....um.....," she could feel his gaze on her. She tried to pull herself together. "Is there anyone you're interested in?"

"Interested in?" Kent repeated. "I mean there is you-"

He liked her, too?!

"But Ikki is also an interesting-"

Did that mean-

"I'm not sure if you want to count my venus flytrap the other day as it is not a person, but it is somewhat sentient so-"

She slapped her forehead. "I meant romantically."

"Oh. You mean am I physically and/or romantically attracted to someone."

"Yes!"

Kent blanched. "I don't know why you're so intent on knowing," he straightened his throat, "but to answer your question...I cannot say. Why do my emotions pique you so much? Could you be doing research of your own?"

She shook her head. "Actually, the truth is," she exhaled, "I," she bit her lip before looking up at him, "I think I'm in love with you."

"Me?"

She gave a nod. "It's crazy, I know. But, lately, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. About us." She took a step forward. "I understand if you don't reciprocate my feelings, I really do, but I, I just had to let you know where I stood."

Kent leaned back, crossing his arms. He did not look at her, but he did some to ponder on her words. She hoped she hadn't made a mistake. He should have been able to either accept or reject her. Then again, he probably never thought about their relationship before. Just as she hadn't thought it would be possible to be in love with a giant, there could be hope that he was thinking of the possibility of being in love with her. 

He finally broke the silence.

"I have no idea how you could have come to the conclusion of loving me."

She froze. Okay, maybe that was his way of being humble.

"None of what we did was for the purposes of bonding."

No, he didn't-

"I believe our relationship was to be of a professional one. It would have been one thing if you considered me a friend, but now this takes things to a new level. Is this how you search for someone you look for an intimate relationship with? I don't believe a setting like this is the proper way to go about it."

Professional? He was the one that wanted to work.

"Furthermore, you should realize that an intimate relationship with me would never work out. There would be no way for you to produce children considering our size difference. I'm not sure if pregnancy would even be a possibility. Regardless, there would be risks since you're so small."

Okay, now he was being a jerk.

"I mean, you would possibly be better off with someone your size-"

"I've heard enough!"

She turned her back to him, stomping across the countertop.

"Excuse me? You're the one who made it clear that you would be understanding and now you're pouting and stomping like a child."

She swung to face, him, eyes becoming red. "That doesn't give you the right to say such heartless things!"

"Huh?" He motioned his hand. "I'm confused. Explain."

Her lip quivered. "Y-you," she sniffed, "you don't have to be a jerk when you speak."

"Look, if it's about my response to your sentiment, I don't know what else to tell you."

"It's not about your rejection!" She laughed bitterly. "I just...I just thought you'd be more understanding of how hard it was for me to work up the courage to confess to you. Maybe turn me down gently." She shook her head. "I guess I was wrong in thinking you actually cared about me."

"I said no such thing," his tone grew defensive.

She slammed her hands against her side. "You never said it, but I heard it." She turned her back to him once more. "Goodbye." She booked it to the the blimp on the sill.

"Wait, Chiemi," he got up from his chair. "At least let me give you your payment."

"Keep it," she started the blimp. "Just....just keep it." She flew away from his house and into the garden without looking back. She slid down the beanstalk with tears streaming down her face.

* * *

Neither of her brothers were home, making Chiemi feel fortunate that she could lock herself in her room. She sobbed against the pillow, clinging on to it tightly. She should have known that he was a jerk. That he only ever thought about things from a logical standpoint. All those times he was nice to her.....

She felt something against her knuckles. She let one hand release its hold of the pillow and felt for that object. When she pulled it out, it was the photograph of a younger version of herself, her brothers, and Kuro. Chiemi dropped the pillow, sitting forward. Her eyes were fixated on how happy all three were. Shin and Chiemi held Kuro together while Toma stood behind them with his hands on their shoulders. She remembered how she fought with Shin to hold him, but they were able to compromise for the pose. She sighed.

"I wish I didn't have to give you up. We may have been fed, but...," her eyes widened. 

That's right. She was so upset that she refused Kent's food. She flung her door open, sliding down to the living room to check the time. They would be home within a couple of hours and she had nothing for them to eat. She grew angry at herself. She went back to her room to sling her bag over shoulder before searching for a knife. 

She hurried outside and tried to carve a piece of the beanstalk off. The knife was dug deep within the plant, its juices oozing out. Maybe she could go into town and barter the piece of beanstalk for a meal to bring home. She struggled with cutting the chunk off. The knife was stuck. She pushed down on it. It wouldn't budge. She tried again. And again. 

Finally, she tried to pull it out. It wiggled, but was inching its way out. It became unstuck as it flew out of her hands and dropped in the grass. She dug her fingers into the beanstalk, hoping to get just enough out. But all she could get was the mush. She picked the knife up and decided to use it to chip away the plant. However, as she focused on using it as a pick, the blade came down between her thumb and forefinger leaving a cut. She seethed in pain, clutching her hand. Thoughts were swirling around her head. 

How could she have traded Kuro for this? Why did she let her emotions get in the way of food for her family? Why couldn't she have loved her giant in silence?

Chiemi blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the short chapter, but I didn't feel like it needed to be longer. I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. I will try to make the next one longer.


	12. Fixing What's Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chiemi comes down with a fever after her confession to Kent goes awry. She must still be sick if she thinks she's seen him right outside her house looking for her.

It was warm. There was a heaviness on top of her. Chiemi opened her eyes, moving her head side to side before fully waking up. She was back in her room, on her bed with at least three blankets over her. She took her hand out and saw that it was bandaged. A knock came from the door.

"Come in," she said weakly.

Toma came in with Waka, the owner of the bakery, coming in. 

"Toma? Mr. Waka?"

Waka held a thermometer in front of her.

"Please open your mouth," Waka instructed.

She did and closed it once the thermometer touched her tongue. After a few seconds, Waka pulled it away.

"Hm...you have a higher than normal temperature," he mused, "but you will be alright."

"Um...what happened?" she asked.

"You tell me," Toma nearly scoffed. "Sawa came by and found you on the grass with your hand bleeding. A good thing for you that Shin and I were just coming home."

"Oh," Chiemi sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Toma gave her a slight smile. "The cut wasn't serious and you're fine." He stroked her head. "Just try and get some rest, okay?"

She nodded and sunk back in her pillows. Before they left, Chiemi remembered one more thing.

"Oh, Toma, about the food for this week-"

"Don't worry about it," he had his hand on the doorknob. "I have enough for groceries. And Waka said I could do some side jobs for him in your place until you get better. Just focus on getting better."

"Alright. Thank you."

The door closed. She sighed. Looking down at her hand, she recalled the events that took place. Of course she had allowed herself to get hurt. Her nose felt stuffy, her head warm. She lied down again, pulling the blankets over her. If only she didn't have that crush on Kent. It wasn't even because she was stuck in bed. If she had kept her mouth shut, then maybe she could have continued silently loving him. She could have been content with just feeling his hand and shoulder. With the little things. And even though it was his fault for being a jerk about rejecting her, she hated that she still blamed herself. Why did she feel like this was all her fault?

 

Chiemi couldn't recall sleeping, but she had as she opened her eyes again to find that the sun was out. She put a hand on her chest, her breathing growing easier. She still felt a bit warm, but definitely better compared to the day before. Then, there was a scream heard outside her home.

With a blanket over her shoulders, she ran out of the house to see what was going on. Sawa, Shin, and Toma all stared in the direction of the beanstalk. But she knew that wasn't what they were looking at.

On his knees was Kent, hands raised up as if he were about to pick them one by one. Toma got in front of Shin and Sawa.

"Stand back," he warned.

"Again, I am not here to cause harm," Kent tried to explain. "I-" his eyes met Chiemi's, who was clutching the fold of her blanket. "Chiemi! There you are." Before he could reach out to her, Toma spoke up again.

"Hold on! No, you don't," Toma rushed over to Chiemi's side, holding her close to his chest. "Who are you and what do you want with her?"

"Toma, it's okay," Chiemi pulled away from him. "He's the giant I've been helping."

Toma looked at her in disbelief, holding that same look as he looked back at Kent. Sawa and Shin eyed one another before joining the rest of them. Sawa let out a whistle.

"So....," she couldn't find the words to continue that sentence. "Uh......"

"Guys, can I talk to him?" Chiemi stepped forward. They all leaned in closer. "Alone."

"Uh....fine, I guess," Shin put his hands on Sawa and Toma to move them forward, despite all of them still taking a look at the giant that was next to the beanstalk. 

When the three of them were inside, Chiemi clutched the ends of her blanket over her chest. "And what do you think you're doing here?"

Kent hummed, extending a finger to her forehead. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. You didn't come yesterday."

"Not like you wanted me to," she said under her breath. 

"What was that?"

She shook her head. "Why do you care?"

Kent frowned, but it wasn't one of annoyance or anger. Rather, it was sadness. His brows curved and he folded his hands together. 

"I don't know." He rubbed his thumbs together. "I....I thought about what you told me."

"And?"

He looked up at her with pleading eyes. "I'm sorry."

She blanched. "You're what?"

He shifted himself back, making enough distance between the two of them so he wouldn't hit her when he bowed his head. "I'm sorry. My words were uncalled for."

"Kent...."

He peeked his head up a bit. "The truth is....I didn't know what to say. I didn't think you'd actually," he stopped himself. He pressed his head back down on the grass. "I didn't feel like I was the right choice for you." He let out a deep breath. "And when I didn't see you, I got worried. I was scared of what could have happened to you. I...."

She could hear him starting to hiccup. With a shake of her head, she reached her hand to touch his hair. He looked up slightly, greeted by her smile.

"Honestly, what am I going to do with you?"

Kent wiped his nose. "Do you...forgive me?"

She nodded. "Yes." Chiemi pressed herself against his forehead. "I do."

Kent gave her a gentle squeeze with his hand. When he let go, he sat up straight.

"It wasn't easy finding you. I honestly had no idea where you came from until I started searching in my garden. I had assumed you lived underground, but when I started digging, I found that there were clouds underneath. It surprised me and then I saw this beanstalk and-"

"Kent," she interrupted him. "as interested as I am in hearing how you found me, I'm still a bit whoozy."

Kent blushed. "Oh, right."

Chiemi giggled. "That's okay. You can tell me all about it once I get better."

"Yes," he straightened his voice. "Of course. I shall visit you everyday. I'd rather you not overextert yourself so much."

"Fair enough. But try to be careful when you come down. I think everyone else is still a bit scared of you."

They both looked in the direction of the house where they spotted three sets of eyes looking behind the curtains until they immediately dispersed. 

"Then, until tomorrow," he stood up, taking careful steps towards the beanstalk.

"Yeah, tomorrow," Chiemi looked up at him as he climbed up into the clouds.

 

Chiemi had wanted to rest, but was bombarded with questions by her brothers and Sawa. They circled around her bed, with Toma bringing in a tray with warm soup on top. He placed it on her lap as the questions continued.

"Seriously, Chiemi, I had no idea you were actually in contact with a literal giant!" Sawa gasped.

"I know you warned us and all," Shin scratched his chin, "but it was a bit unsettling to see the real thing in person."

"Don't call him a thing," Chiemi brought a spoonful of the soup close to her mouth, blowing on it before sipping it up.

Toma sighed. "I really wish you would have given us a heads up at least."

"I told you already, I didn't expect him to come."

"Then can you blame us for being alarmed?"

She breathed out. "No, I guess not." She pushed the tray forward. 

"Chiemi, please eat," Toma put his hands on top of hers. "You need to regain your strength."

"I feel like I need to sleep," she pouted. 

Toma sighed, pulling his hands away in defeat and picking up the tray. "Alright, fair enough. But you must eat when you wake up. Understood?"

She nodded.

He motioned his head forward. "Come on, you two. Let's give her time to rest."

"Fine," Shin crossed his arms before looking back at his sister with concern. 

Sawa patted the end of the covers. "Get better soon, okay?" She gave a small smile which Chiemi appreciated.

When they were finally out of the room, she brought the blanket closer to her mouth. She couldn't believe he actually came down. He didn't think about the potential consequences or if anyone was even okay with giants roaming the land of tiny people. But, he came for her. Despite what he said during her confession, he still thought about her. It didn't excuse his words, but maybe he was sorry about how he reacted. She supposed she could have left without worrying him. She closed her eyes with sweet thoughts. She looked forward to seeing him again.

* * *

The next day, Kent arrived with Ikki in tow. Chiemi was starting to feel much better as she went outside to greet them. Toma and Shin were still wary of the giant, even moreso when they saw the sight of a living harp being placed down by Kent.

"Greetings," the harp gave a slight bow. "I am the enchanted harp, Ikkyu."

"Oh my God, there are magical talking instruments," Shin jumped. 

"Shin, be nice," Toma scolded.

"What? It's true. Maybe we should sell this one and live our lives comfortably."

Toma elbowed him on the side, causing Shin to flinch. He covered his side, glaring at Toma.

"It was just a joke," he pouted.

"Enough," Chiemi motioned her hand to Ikki. "Ikki is not to be feared. I think."

Ikki gasped. "Chiemi, you know me better. I would never be a threat."

"You mean unlike how you tried to hypnotize her with your music when you first met her," Kent sat down with his legs criss-crossed.

"You did what?" Toma turned his head to Ikki menacingly.

Ikki raised his hands in front of his chest and shook them. "It was nothing bad, I assure you." He let out a light laugh. "And anyway, she's completely immune to my lovely music," he strung his strings, bringing about soothing notes in the air. 

"Hey, you guys!" Sawa's voice shouted in the distance. 

Everyone turned to see her walking up the house with Mine by her side. Mine nearly lost her breath when she saw a giant in front of the beanstalk.

"EEK!" she hid behind Sawa. "Sawa, what is that?!"

"Mine, I already told you," Sawa laughed as she comforted her friend, "this is the guy Chiemi has been saying. I told you he was a giant."

"I thought you meant that he was just tall," Mine pouted. 

Ikki jumped closer to the girls, extending an arm to them. "Are you ladies alright?"

Mine and Sawa were immediately entranced by the magical talking harp. He was so handsome with his wavy hair that swooshed across his face. 

"Oh, y-yeah, just fine," Sawa blushed. 

Mine pushed Sawa out of the way to get closer to the harp. "And who might you be?"

"Why, my name is Ikki. Ikki the enchanted harp," he played a few notes that completely overtook Mine. 

Mine became head over heels for him. Chiemi could do nothing but sigh and roll her eyes. After getting everyone introduced, Chiemi began to recount all the experiments she performed for Kent's studies. Ikki would chime in to assure everyone that all of the experiments were safe while also providing his own commentary, usually overexaggerating whatever victories he had over Kent. Kent would press a finger down on Ikki's head roughly before stating how it was he who was the victor. They couldn't quite agree, so Chiemi insisted they move on. 

Eventually, the subject of their worlds was brought up. They looked to the beanstalk and up at the clouds. How was it possible that there was an entire world just above another?

"Hm...I'll be honest," Kent tapped his elbow, "that is something that I've been meaning to look into for I do not have the answers."

"What? Really?" Shin asked.

He hummed. "I never thought I'd find something like this living under my garden." He looked back at the plant. "And truth be told, there's something familiar about this beanstalk. I can't quite put my tongue on it."

"Is that going to be your next study?" Chiemi pondered.

"Yes," he pulled a leaf off the stalk, twisting it over between his thumb and finger. "I must know how this works. How this is possible."

"And what does that mean for us?" Toma looked up at him, one leg close to his chest with the other stretched out. He wasn't used to having to look up at someone with such an incredible height. By no means was he the tallest man in town, but this had certainly made him feel quite insignificant. "Will you not be needing my sister or...?"

Kent smiled. "Don't worry about that." Kent's gaze fell on Chiemi. "Her employment will not affected. And....," he rubbed his thumb and finger together, "if you don't mind, I'd like to continue interacting with her. On a more personal level."

Chiemi immediately stood up. "Wait, what do you mean?"

"I mean," he gave her his finger, "I'd like for us to do more than just collaboration work." 

She covered her mouth with her face turning red. She turned to Toma, "I'm gonna talk to him for a minute."

"Yeah, of course," Toma answered, his face confused as to what was going on. 

Chiemi climbed on Kent's hand, pointing up to get to his level. Kent faced away from the group as he brought her to his eye level.

"Kent," she said to him, "you, you don't have to feel obligated to do this-"

"I'm not feeling obligated," Kent answered her in a voice she could hear but the others couldn't. "I do want to get to know you. More than just as a study subject." He brought her closer to his face. "I want to see where this takes us."

She smiled back at him. "I'd like that."

He was tempted to kiss her right then and there, but they still had company. Instead, Chiemi hugged his thumb and he gently squeezed her back in his palm. He put her back down and faced everyone again.

It was then time for Kent and Ikki to leave. Kent placed Ikki in his front coat pocket before putting his hands on the plant. He looked down on the little people that waved at him, with Sawa urging them to come back and visit. Chiemi looked up at him with a gleam in her eyes and he couldn't have left on better terms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. Thank you so much for your patience for the release of this chapter. I think we're approaching the end very soon, so stay tuned.


	13. How a Beanstalk Created Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chiemi and Kent find out how they managed to meet in the first place, realizing that this may have all gone according to someone else's plan.

The days to follow were of sweet bliss. Kent and Ikki returned to the world below, usually with Kent studying the soil as Ikki played tunes for the visitors that would come and see the giant and his beanstalk. Chiemi would help her giant by digging holes in the ground for him to place his gadgets. When they weren't working, they would sit near the stream and talk about the differences between both worlds. How magic in Chiemi's world was regarded as nothing more than children's stories while Kent's world seemed to be full of it. One of their conversations was turned to the subject of the beanstalk itself.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you," Kent confessed, his legs bent against his chest. 

Chiemi looked up, her legs laid out.

"How did you come across the beanstalk?"

"That?" Chiemi shifted herself on the grass. "Well, for one thing, it wasn't always a beanstalk. It was a bean."

"A single bean?"

"Mhmm," she tapped her feet together. "Actually, I traded Kuro for that bean."

Kent widened his eyes. "That's what you gave up your dog for?"

"I know, I know," Chiemi raised her hands, "it sounds like an unwise trade, especially considering how deep my bond with him was."

Kent straightened his voice. "No, uh," he rested his chin on his hand, "I mean, I'm merely.....curious." Kent had to be careful with his word choice. He didn't want to upset the small woman, let alone hurt her feelings. "How did that come about?"

Chiemi pulled herself up for a bit before getting on her knees. "Well, I was on my way to the city to sell Kuro when a couple of no good ruffians were up to no good, harrassing a pair of brothers. Kuro aided me in stopping them and getting them to leave the boys alone. I let them play with Kuro for a bit until the oldest brother showed up. When I told them what I had to do, the eldest one offered to take Kuro in exchange for the bean. He told me that the bean was magical and would make me happy. And as luck would have it, he wasn't wrong."

"I see," Kent blinked, thinking about the story. "These brothers, did two of them look eerily similar? With the same haircut? And was there a brother that looked nothing like the two with long, green hair?"

"Yeah," Chiemi moved herself to face him, "how did you know?"

Kent adjusted his glasses. "So, they did do it," he whispered to himself.

"Kent?" 

Kent looked back at her, lifting her up to his knees. "Sorry. It's just, I was wondering how you got this beanstalk because," he didn't know if she'd believe him, but he had to try, "it's one of my own."

Chiemi blanched. "What?!"

Kent rubbed the back of his neck. "You see....those people you met, they were giants like myself."

She blinked. "They were?!"

"The oldest one, he had been an assistant of mine for a while beforehand. He was busy with his own research and magic. One day, he caught me tending to my garden, where I was taking care of the beans. He asked for a single bean, left, and then I never saw him again."

"That's weird. But what was he researching?" 

Kent tapped his finger on the grass, averting his gaze from her. "The existence of another world."

Chiemi was at a loss of words. As she was about to say something, another noise came out instead. She took to lying on her side. Kent looked down at her in wonder.

"Chiemi, are you okay?"

She raised an arm, waving it. "Yeah. Totally fine."

Kent looked over his shoulder, cautiously lying back as well. He put his hands over his stomach, staring up at the clouds. Chiemi rolled over to see him. She rolled along to be closer to him before crawling next to his face.

"It's weird how all of this has worked out, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah." 

After a moment of silence, Kent chuckled. His chuckling grew harder and turned into laughter.

"What's so funny?"

Kent turned his head to her, a smile spread across his face. 

"I think my assistant gave you that bean for a reason, but it must have not gone the way he imagined."

"How so?" Chiemi lied on her stomach, kicking her feet back and forth.

"I think he wanted to prove to me that there was another world. And while he was right to a degree, I can't help but think that it was more beneficial to me than it was a victory to him." 

Kent flipped over, putting a hand behind her and pushing her gently to him. He closed his eyes and kissed her against his palm. When he pulled away, he saw her blushing face. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I think I gained a lot more than I imagined, too." 

She pressed her tiny lips against him, a hand hovering over the top. He kissed her back, in a soft yet passionate way. The two looked at one another lovingly. He nuzzled against her as she stroked his face. 

"Do you think this'll work out?" Chiemi looked into his eyes.

Kent picked her up, placing her over his chest as they stared back up at the sky, and pressing down on her for a hug.

"I believe it will."

* * *

As time passed, Kent gathered enough research and data from studying the world below. With his research, he planned to travel in his world above to convince prestigious higher ups to start an alliance between both worlds. When he announced his plans, he revealed that he wasn't sure how long he would be gone for. He revealed that it could be up to a year, possibly two. A farewell party was held, but Kent had something else planned. 

Prior to the party, he convened with Shin and Toma, requesting a private audience with him. They were confused until he spoke with them about his plans. They were shocked, but confessed that his plans would most likely go according. They weren't going to stop him after all. And neither did the rest of Chiemi's friends and loved ones.

On the day of the party, everyone except Kent ate and drank to their heart's content. Although Chiemi didn't touch much of her plate, either. She knew it would be a long while before she saw her beloved giant again. And Kent must have known when he asked her to accompany him away from the others.

 

Once they were a safe distance away, he leaned against a hill and kept her on his hands. She patted his skin, squeezing his thumb.

"I wish there was a shooting star tonight," she mumbled. 

"And what wish would you make?" He moved his thumb slightly to her leaning against it.

"For us to stay together."

Kent smiled down at her.

"We don't have to be apart."

"What are you talking about?"

Kent brought her closer to him. He urged her to look at him. 

"Chiemi....I wouldn't have gotten this far in my research without you." He took a deep breath through his nostrils, careful not to hit her with it. "And I don't think it would be fair to present my findings alone." 

Chiemi had a hand over her mouth.

"Kent...what are you-"

"Will you travel with me? In my world?"

Chiemi felt herself wavering. "I-" She paused and bit her lip.

"Your brothers and friends all agreed they wouldn't stop you from coming with me."

Her eyes widened. "You asked them?!"

"It's only the appropriate thing to do. After all, you would be gone for a while and it wouldn't feel right to ask without knowing their thoughts." A blush crepted up on his face. "So, do you accept my proposal?"

Chiemi had a huge grin on her face. She jumped out of his hand, throwing her arms wide. Kent was careful to catch her, but held her close to the crook of his neck. 

"YES!" She shouted, giggling as she pressed kisses against him. It tickled him a bit, but he could feel how strong her love for him was. When he felt her let go, he brought her close to his face again. 

"I will."

Kent carried her close his lips and the two shared a passionate kiss. Her hands caressed the top of his mouth while his thumb rubbed her back. 

 

And so, Kent took Chiemi with him back to the world above where they travelled his world together. After their travels, they convinced both worlds to get to know each other and begin a harmonious relationship between giants and smaller people. With this alliance, Chiemi was able to own the land her family's house was on and ensured her brothers had been well-off with their new riches. Ikki chose to live down below where he could play his music and calm the people in times of stress. As for Chiemi and Kent, the two were married years later and created a new life where they would visit both the world above and below. Suffice to say, all in this story were content and they all lived happily ever after.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was almost tempted to name this chapter "Started from the Bottom," lol. Anyway, I'm glad I finally got around to finishing this chapter and this fic. I'm sorry if the ending is a bit lackluster, though I must confess that this is what happens when you don't plan out a story properly. Which is ironic since this was always meant to be a cohesive story compared to my last Amnesia fic. But I hope you enjoyed this fic overall. Thank you for your support <3


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